Coltrane on Coltrane by John Coltrane in collaboration with Don DeMicheal, September 29, 1960 – Down Beat Archives – Classic Interview.

I’ve been listening to jazzmen, especially saxophonists, since the time of the early Count Basie records, which featured Lester Young. Pres was my first real influence, but the first horn I got was an alto, not a tenor. I wanted a tenor, but some friends of my mother advised her to buy me an alto because it was a smaller horn and easier for a youngster to handle. This was 1943. Continue reading →